On November 8, 1519, the Spanish conquistadors first entered the great city of Mexico, the metropolis the Aztecs had built on a lake island. Don Hernando Cortes, who was accompanied by six hundred Spaniards and a great many native allies, at last could see for himself the temples and palaces about which he had heard so many marvels. The Spaniards arrived from the direction of Tlalpan, to the south of the city, passing across one of the wide causeways that connected the island with the mainland. When they reached a locality known as Xoloco, they were welcomed by the last of the Motecuhzomas, who had come out to meet them in the belief that the white men must be Quetzalcoatl and other gods, returning at last from across the waters now known as the Gulf of Mexico. Thus Cortes and his men entered the city, not only as guests, but also as gods coming home. It was the first direct encounter between one of the most extraordinary pre-Columbian cultures and the strangers who would eventually destroy it. 

Your news agency, the prestigious Time Travel Channel (TTN), has decided to 5 news teams back in time to the fall of 1509 during the beginning of the Aztec/Spanish conflict.  Each news team will be made up of 4 members who need to assume the roles of two hosts, an editor, and videographer.  Each of the team members will be required to gather resources and facts about the beginning of the conquest in an objective, or unbiased, way.  Keep in mind that you will be sending these reports back to the general television viewers of 2008 so keep in mind that this cannot be above their comprehension level!  You must remember that as a news outfit you must analyze the biases of records and sources concerning this conflict to remain objective.  Each news outfit will be given a choice of 5 different topics which they will have to cover.  The choices are…

• Spanish Motives for Invading the Aztec Empire.
• The Spanish Relationship with Native Allies.
• What made the Aztecs believe these Spaniards were “gods”? (Aztec Religion)
• Troubles within the Aztec Empire before the Spanish arrival.
• Cortes and his personal ambitions.

Your purpose during this conflict will create a news reports for a story connecting the events of this conflict and how they relate to cross cultural conflicts today.  Obtain information from the records of the invasion and compare it to the circumstances surrounding clashes in our modern era and show the relationships between them. 

The news stories must be 7-10 minutes or we will not have enough time for our other stories as this is only a half our news show.  We need to stay on schedule so the length of these pieces is critical!  Your reports will be evaluated on overall quality, creativity, objectivity, accuracy, and the examination of source biases.  Make sure that these news reports are top notch as you will be presenting them to the chief staff editors for our primetime news show.  These editors will assess which group has the most complete and precise news show and make a decision on which is worthy to appear on primetime.  (You cannot vote for own group!)

Upon concluding this webquest, students will be able to critique information about this time period and evaluate its objectivity.  Also they will be able to  identify and analyze major consequences, enduring themes, and people in this era.  Finally, they will understand the importance of evaluating the biases found in primary (ex. Conquistadors Journals) and secondary sources (textbooks, novels, etc.) to determine the truth surrounding the demise of the Aztec Empire.